


Whispers in the Dark

by itsnotaboutlove



Series: The Chef and The Historian [25]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Chris is losing his mind, F/M, Gen, Heavy Angst, M/M, Suspicions, jesus christ what have i done, mentions of adultery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 14:03:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6082110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotaboutlove/pseuds/itsnotaboutlove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You have a six-pack." </p><p>Melanie looked over at him, before looking down at herself. "Oh," she shrugged. "Yeah I guess I do." </p><p> </p><p>In which our beloved couple hits the biggest rough patch in their marriage. And it gets nasty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whispers in the Dark

Chris first noticed it, when Melanie stood at their closet, dressed only in her bra and underwear. The once soft flesh of her belly, the remains of her pregnancy with CJ, was not a flat and hard surface of muscle. 

"Y-you got a six pack growing there?" he managed to ask, as she pulled a shirt out of the closet. 

"What?" Melanie asked, absentmindedly, as she draped the garment over her arm. 

He scratched at the three-day old stubble that covered his face. "You have a six pack." 

Melanie looked over at him, before looking down at herself. "Oh," she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so." 

The rest of her body had changed as well, now that he closely looked at her; her legs toned, as well as her arms, as the muscles flexed when she moved around their bedroom. Between the constant running around after the kids and joining a yoga class with Nyota and Louisa, it wasn't a surprise that she had been keeping an eye out on her health. 

But now, as they both got ready for the day, Chris started to notice other little changes. The shorter hair, now brushing her shoulders, looking a little blonder than it was a month previously. Her nails were painted a light shade of pink, when they were usually bare. Since going back to work, traveling around Washington to various universities and the occasional trip to California or New York, Melanie was home a little less than well.. ever. 

"So, did you still want to go to that farmer's market?" Melanie asked, as she slipped on a pair of snug jeans; they came up to her hips and hugged her in all the right places. 

"Y-yeah," Chris nodded, as she came over to the bed. "Sophie and Olivia are at Katie's, Hikaru's got Charlie and CJ's with your brother. So it's just us." 

She grinned, "Just the way I like it," she teased, her arms in the sleeves of her shirt. "You do know that you have to get dressed, right? Can't have you going out in your underwear." 

Chris nodded, "I'll be ready in five minutes," he said, as she leaned down to kiss him. 

"I'll meet ya downstairs," Melanie said, as she tugged the shirt over her head. "Don't take too long." 

She gave him a smile over her shoulder, before disappearing down the hallway, greeting one of the many cats that wandered the house throughout the day. Chris sat for a few more seconds, processing. 

Something was going on. 

.................

"So, where's Mellie again?" Jim asked, as he followed Chris around the vegetable garden that consumed half of the backyard. 

"Pittsburg," said Chris, as he plucked a pepper off a plant, dropping it into the basket he held. "She's coming back Friday night." 

Jim nodded, "Why didn't she just go to Pittsburg last weekend, when she was in New York?" he asked. "I mean.. wouldn't that have been easier?" 

It was the million dollar question, along with many, that Chris had for the last two weeks. "The hell if I know," he muttered. "She's got all these conferences that come up the last minute, and she's running out the door before I can even ask when she'll be home." 

"Chris...is everything alright?" Jim asked, concerned. "I mean, I figured you and Mel would be on the same page about her travels and shit. And I just assumed that you two would be glued to the phone." 

"I-" Chris paused, as he turned around to look at him. "I think Mellie's having an affair, Jim." 

The confession hit the younger man like a ton of bricks, as he paled. "W-what?" he asked, shaking his head. "Chris, don't you think that's a little... I mean, Mellie? Having an affair?" 

Chris sighed, "I don't know what else to think, Jim," he admitted. "She's different. She looks different, she acts different." 

"How so?" 

"She spends more and more time in her office on the phone," Chris shook his head. "Constantly has her cellphone glued to her hand, texting and talking to people. She's very secretive, Jim. I ask her who she's talking to and you'd think I asked her a hundred questions. " 

Jim shrugged, "Chris, that could be work related," he said. "Granted, she's not a lawyer or running a business. But she's a renowned researcher and she's assisting a lot of PhD students from all over the world." 

The older man closed his eyes, "Jim, we haven't had sex in months," he finally said. "Everytime I initiate, she brushes me off." 

"Maybe she's tired?" 

"Or maybe she's got a lover." 

"I really think you're jumping to conclusions," Jim said. "Mel loves you, Chris. There's no way in hell she would ever step out on your marriage! That's not the woman you married and you know it." 

Chris shifted the basket from one hand to the other, turning his attention to the girls as they played in the little pool set up on the lawn. Their gleeful shrieks, as the scooped up cupfuls of water, tossing them at one another. 

"I don't know who I married anymore, Jim," he finally said, pushing past him. 

Jim turned and watched as Chris walked up the back steps of the porch, pausing to address the girls, before heading inside the house. Chewing at his bottom lip, Jim sighed and poked a green tomato with his finger, before walking away from the vegetable garden. 

................

The nagging feeling doesn't go away, as Chris spends the rest of the week playing Mr. Mom to the kids. He does the laundry, the household chores, carpooling. Grocery shopping and library stops, as he holds sleepovers in the basement with six girls, while CJ hangs around upstairs with him. 

Melanie calls a few times throughout the day, though her phone calls are short; the distant sound in her voice, as people are calling for her on her end of the line. "I have to go," she said quickly, after she got off the phone with Charlotte. "I'll call back later!" 

She hangs up before he can even say "I love you," before turning the cordless off and setting it back on the charger. 

"I hope Mommy doesn't leave again when she comes home," Sophia pouted, as they cleaned up the backyard; headless barbies and frisbee's were scattered about, standing in as a boobytrap for disaster. 

"I guess we'll have to see," Chris said. 

The night before her return, Leonard stops by on his way home from work, which surprises the kids. But it doesn't surprise Chris, knowing that Jim told him about his concerns. 

"Are you sure?" Leonard asked, as they sat on the back porch after the kids went down for bed. "And I mean, really sure, Chris." 

"I don't know what else it could be," Chris said, shaking his head. "And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Besides, it was probably bound to happen anyway, right? I mean, I'm going to be sixty in two weeks. That's it, Len. I've hit my warranty agreement in our marriage. So while I get older, Melanie's getting younger by getting in shape and dressing like she's twenty-eight again."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "This sounds like a mid-life crisis," he drawled. "Chris, I think this is more about you turning sixty than you think. Did you stop and think that maybe Melanie's reverting back to lookin' and dressin' like a twenty-something- year old, because she's forty?"

Chris shook his head, "Of course you didn't," Leonard shook his head. "While sixty is a big deal for you, forty was a big deal for her. Why, I don't understand, since forty is nothin'. I mean, she's had four kids in less than ten years. We all know she was strugglin' to lose the last twenty pounds she had from bein' pregnant with CJ."

"What about the sex?" Chris asked.

"Maybe she's afraid that it'll kill ya," Leonard shrugged, much to Chris's annoyance. "I don't know why my sister won't have sex, Chris! I don't ask her these things!"

"Something just doesn't feel right!" Chris stressed. "Something isn't right with  _her."_

The first set of tears, surprises Leonard. But when Chris breaks down, it  _scares_ the shit out of him. "Whoa, whoa, " Leonard said, moving his chair closer to his. "Chris, man. It's okay!" 

Embarrassed, Chris covers his face with his hands. "I don't know what I'll do if she's having an affair, Len," he sobbed. "I went through this once and it took me ten years, before I trusted another woman again. But this? This will kill me." 

"You need to talk to her," Leonard said, rubbing his back gently. "That's the only way you're going to find out. But you gotta calm down, man!" 

"This is fucking ridiculous," Chris sniffled harshly, as Leonard patted his back. 

Leonard nodded, "It is," he admitted. "But you won't know until you talk to her. For all you know, she's probably got her own set of fears and anxieties goin' on." 

Chris looked over at him, "Just talk to her," Leonard said. "And try to be calm when you do it, too." 

....................

When Melanie stepped through the front door, later the next day, she was surprised at the lack of greeting. Usually, she would be tackled by four kids, screeching for her attention. Then, a few seconds later, her tired and rumpled husband would come down the hall, give her a kiss and usher the kids off so she could step into the house. But instead, there were no wild children or a tired husband to greet her. Setting her keys down on the table, she closed the front door and set her suitcase against the wall. 

"Hello?" she called out, dropping her bag down on the floor. "Anyone home?" 

Silence.

Kicking off her shoes, Melanie walked through the empty living room and up the staircase, heading down the hall to the master bedroom. Taking a hot shower, she redressed in a worn out shirt that belong to Chris, before heading back downstairs. The basement was empty, as was the spare bedroom; which was odd to her, since Chris's truck was in the driveway. Heading through the kitchen, Melanie went to the sliding door and spotted him sitting on the back step, staring out into the yard. Pushing the door open, she stepped out onto the porch and made her way across it, before sitting down next to him. 

"Hey," she greeted him, crossing her ankles. "Where are the kids?" 

"Your brothers," he responded, keeping his eyes on the lawn. 

She nodded, "Oh," she said. "Are they staying over for the night?" 

Chris nodded and Melanie turned her attention to the yard, trying to figure out what was so interesting to him at that moment. As her eyes scanned the mock soccer goal at one end of the yard, along with the swing set, Melanie reached up and brushed the damp strands of hair away from her face. 

"Are you having an affair?" 

The question was so blunt, as was Chris's tone, that it made her heart stop. Melanie quickly turned her head to look at him, though he wasn't looking at her. But she could see the tension along his jaw and his hands were clenched into fists; resting on his lap. 

"Excuse me?" she asked. 

'Are you having an affair, Melanie." 

Melanie blinked and shook her head, "No," she replied. "W-where's this coming from?" 

Instead of answering, Chris stood up and started up the steps to the house; Melanie quickly scrambled up to her feet and followed him, stubbing her toe on the steps as she rushed. Cursing, she ignored the pain and reached out to grab his arm, turning him around to face her. 

"What's going on?" she asked, as he stared at her. "Who told you that I was having an affair, Chris?" 

"No one told me," he said. "I think you're having an affair." 

The hurt that flash across her face, gave him some hope that he was wrong, but he refused to fall for it so quickly. "Why?" she asked, the heartbreak evident in her voice. "Why would you think I'd do something like that to you?" 

"You're never home," Chris said, feeling the hysteria rising in him; the urge to yell and angry. "And you've changed, Mel. You're all done up and for who? Because the last time I checked, you weren't sleeping with me. So you must be sleeping with someone else, since yo-" 

He felt the slap before he saw her hand move across his face, as tears spilled from her eyes. "How dare you," she said, her voice shaking. "How DARE you!" 

"How dare I?" he asked, ignoring the pain that radiated across his face. 

"This is the second time you've accused me of cheating," Melanie said, shaking her head. "Not once, but TWICE, you've done this. Is that who you think I am? You think I'm whoring myself out to men? That I'm fucking other people when I'm away? What about you? What are you doing when I'm working, Chris? For all I know, you could be fucking the eighteen year old across the street!" 

Chris snapped, "I'm taking care of our children, Melanie!" he shouted. "That's what I'm doing when you're off, running around the fucking country every fucking second you get! Remember them?!" 

Melanie shook her head and went into the house, Chris hot on her heels. "What? Did I hit a nerve?" he asked, as she stormed through the kitchen and into the living room. 

"Fuck you!" she snarled, turning around to face him. "You think that I'm having an affair because I went back to work! What, did you want me to sit home and be a housewife forever, Chris?" 

"No!" 

"I'm at a point in my life, where I can finally work again like I used to," she yelled. "Now that we stopped having children, and they're all old enough to be in school, I can finally go back to doing what I'm good at! What I've worked hard for, before it was us and marriage and, and, children!" 

Chris shook his head, "Oh, so it's me and the kids that were holding you back," he said. "Nice, real nice!" 

Melanie shook her head, "It was getting pregnant, because you couldn't put a fucking condom on your fucking dick, that kept me from working!" she yelled. "So what? Now that you can't knock me up anymore, you're going to punish me for working instead? Because I have to travel for a few days here and there, you're going to accuse me of cheating on you?" 

"Every few days?" Chris laughed. "Melanie, you're gone almost every two weeks since you started working in March! You never fucking tell me when you're going, until you're running out the door with a suitcase in hand! Now, I wouldn't even be surprised if I woke up one morning and you were gone, because that's how quick you jump to go running!" 

"That is not true, and you know it!" Melanie yelled. "I always tell you when I have to go to a conference, Chris! How could I just up and leave, when we have the kids? What kind of fucking mother do you think I am?!" 

Chris rolled his eyes, "I could pull up every fucking airline charge you've made in the last four months," he said. "You're always gone, Mel. The girls are beginning to feel the absence too." 

She fell silent at that, "And let's talk about the new look you've got going on," he continued, holding his hand out to her. "You've colored your hair and you dress more like a twenty-year old rather than a forty year old." 

"Are you kidding me?" Melanie asked, blinking. "You're pissed off because I put highlights in my hair and lost weight? That I went from a size ten to a size six? What, are you going to tell me that you don't want a hottie for a wife? That you rather me look like a frumpy housewife?" 

"That's not what I'm saying, Mel," he started, before she cut him off. 

"It's not?" she asked. "Did you stop to think that maybe I feel better about myself, since I lost weight? Or that maybe, like you, I'm struggling with adapting to being a forty year old mother of four children? Or the fact that my ten year old daughter is approaching her teenage years and soon she won't need us like she does right now?" 

He remained silent as she started to cry again, "No, of course you didn't think to ask me," she laughed, bitterly. "You just jump to conclusions and think that because I'm taking care of my health and wanting to feel good about myself, that I'm just a whore who spreads her legs and lets any ol' person with a dick between them. That instead of actually wanting to  work and, sure maybe I've taken on a little too much too soon, I'm looking for any chance to get away from you and the kids."

She then turned and started for the stairs, "Oh, and the reason why I haven't had sex with you, is because I'm simply too fucking tired to," she said. "And while you may not believe me or that reason, it's the truth. Because I'm a working mother and while I may not be here all the time, I still pull my share of the work when I am. So don't you dare, don't you ever fucking dare, accuse me of being an absentee mother to my children, Christopher. You wanna accuse me of everything else? Go ahead, if it helps you sleep at night. But don't you never accuse me of neglecting my babies, because I will not stand for it. I know that I've done nothing wrong to invalidate my marriage to you, for I have been faithful to you for nearly thirteen years. I love you so much and I respect you so much, that I would never, _ever_ do what Rebecca did to you." 

"Mel.." he said, as she started up the stairs.

"And for the record," Melanie said, as she stopped to look at him. "I wasn't going to take on another conference outside of Washington for the remainder of the year, because I realized while I was in Pittsburg that I really missed you and the kids and I figured the two of us could go up to the lake for the weekend for some time alone. But I guess whores like me don't get to go to the lake with their husbands, huh?" 

She continued up the stairs, "If you still doubt me, you can call M'Benga and he can confirm my faithfulness to you," she continued. "Or are you going to accuse me of fucking him too?" 

Before he could speak, Melanie disappeared up the stairs; the sound of their bedroom door slamming shut, echoing throughout the house. Chris closed his eyes, feeling the blood draining from his face and his entire body going numb. The silence in the house was heavy with tension, crackling in the atmosphere, like a lightning storm ready to strike. 

 _What have I done?_ He thought, as he stood, rooted to the spot. 

_What have I fucking done?_

 

 

 


End file.
